Threat assessment training held for key offices on campus
SIGMA Threat Management Associates consultants Gene Deisinger and Jeff Pollard conducted Students of Concern (SOC) and Threat Assessment training on Tuesday, Sept. 25, and Wednesday, Sept. 26, respectively. SIGMA is a partnership of experts in behavioral threat assessment, threat management and violence prevention that trains clients how to build and operate threat assessment teams and programs.
Deisinger is managing partner of SIGMA, is the former deputy chief of police and director of threat management services at Virginia Tech and now threat management consultant for the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety and consultant to Binghamton University’s Threat Assessment Team. He conducted threat assessment training for the Binghamton campus in February 2013, and returned to the University in March 2014 for additional training sessions. He is a licensed psychologist, certified health service provider in psychology and a certified law enforcement officer.
Pollard is the senior consulting psychologist with SIGMA, a board certified licensed psychologist and founding member of George Mason University’s Threat Assessment Team, where he is an adjunct faculty member teaching threat assessment.
The training was organized to help key offices provide better support to students and the campus community. Representatives from the Dean of Students Office, the Harpur dean’s office, International Student and Scholar Services and the Office of International Education and Global Initiatives, Residential Life, Student Conduct, Student Support Services/TRiO, the Educational Opportunity Program, University Police, health and counseling, Communications and Marketing, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Office of Risk Management and Administrative Compliance, and CCPA social work interns attended the training.
General topics included:
• the sources, nature, and prevalence of violent behavior on campuses;
• enhancing capacity for identification of threatening, aberrant, and concerning behavior;
• threat assessment and management approaches;
• understanding legal considerations; and
• utilization of student behavior strategies.
In preparation for the training, attendees read Deisinger’s book, The Handbook for Campus Threat Assessment & Management, and The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker.